Thursday, April 28, 2011

Like kicking a puppy

It's getting harder to write for Linux in Exile these days. Not because I am running out of topics - in fact, it's quite the opposite. But as Linux Foundation chief Jim Zemlin says, writing these posts almost feels like kicking a puppy.

Linux has "won", in pretty much every category except the desktop. Microsoft relies on desktop PC sales too much to let it go.

And on a personal level, I haven't been (technically) "in exile" for a while now. I'm at a new organization, the senior-most IT officer, and Linux on the desktop is part of the culture here.

So I don't know if Linux in Exile is needed anymore. What do you think? Is this blog helpful to you, to the Linux community? Or is it too much like kicking Microsoft when they're down? Leave your comments below.

I enjoy it because it gives voice to a lot of my annoyances when I must encounter Microsoft Windows again. Plus, the desktop isn't going away; other platforms aren't truly gaining market share at the expense of the desktop — they're all growing. That said, I would recommend changing the blog's title (though adding "(Formerly Linux in Exile)" because, really, you aren't exactly in "exile" any more.That's just my 4/3-penniesworth.--a Linux Mint user since 2009 May 1 (almost 2 years!)

Yup, desktops aren't going anywhere. I myself don't know *anyone* who has used Windows after being a Linux user for so long. The insight is useful.Do keep posting, even if the frequency of updates is lesser.

Now that you have demonstrated what you set out to, perhaps it is time to demonstrate an ability to run gnu/linux all the time with Windows subjugated to virtual instances and tsclient instances. This is how I run things for myself at my job but I'm lucky enough to only have to deal with XP trash. There is nothing to awe the average Windows monkey than 27 virtual desktops running all sorts of great free software with one or two legacy applications where required. I'd be interested to know how this turns out.

Over all, I'm sorry to hear you work in such a place that's determined to strip you of software freedom. Good luck.

About me

I've been a Linux user since 1993, and since 2002 I've been fortunate enough to run Linux full-time at work. But, I've been asked to move back to Windows, at least for work. The difference between Windows and Linux has been shocking, to say the least. Since I find it interesting when long-time Windows users experiment with Linux for the first time, I thought it might be equally interesting for this long-time Linux user to blog about my first experience running Windows in over 6 or 7 years.